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BREAKING: Could We Be On The Eve Of TPM’s Fifth Golden Age?

10/16/08

Ever since the publication of my ground-breaking essay on the Four Golden Ages of talkingpointsmemo.com, I’ve been slammed with emails from people asking whether this or that TPM post heralds the Fifth Golden Age.

Frankly, although JMM and “the boyz” have been on a tear recently, I don’t think they’ve warranted a new Golden Age. But I’m starting to see inklings of a potential Fifth Golden Age — a Golden Age that could actually overshadow all the TPM Ages that have come before it.

Most reporters were slow to catch on to the significance of the US Attorney Firings story. (Basically, JMM just called the entire United States press corps a bunch of stupid-ass little gumps –ed.) And though it eventually became a big scandal, it seems most of the reporters have now more or less forgotten the whole thing since we’re now seeing a replay of the offenses no more than two years later. And rather than calling the bad actors out, most of them are whooping and hollering and going along for the ride.

What’s going on here? Simply put, two Golden Ages have been set on a collision course: The Second Golden Age, when TPM exposed the US Attorney firings and brought down Alberto Gonzales, and the Fourth Golden Age, when JMM called out McCain for being a total loser and a Grade-A douche bag.

Do you see what’s happening? The Republicans are going to try to run more bullshit voter purges and “fraud” prosecutions — the very tactics JMM exposed in the Second G.A. – on behalf of McCain, the very politician JMM has been dumping on in the Fourth G.A.

Are you kidding me? I’M CALLING IT NOW: We are on the cusp of a Fifth Golden Age!!! And if my instincts are correct, this Golden Age will be more intense and more ferocious than any age that has come before it. Because, if the Republicans succeed in bamboozling everyone into believing ACORN is somehow stealing the election? JMM is gonna get . . . happy.

For the sake of our country, I hope we can avoid this Fifth Golden Age. But if we can’t, it’s going to be overwhelming.